Microstructural analysis of heteroepitaxial β-Ga2O3 films grown on (0001) sapphire by halide vapor phase epitaxy

( 2ˉ 01)-oriented β-Ga2O3 films have been grown on (0001) sapphire substrates using the halide vapor phase epitaxy method. The as-grown β-Ga2O3 films exhibit highly textured with domain-like surface morphologies and the root-mean-square roughness is measured at 6.2 nm using atomic force microscopy. The microstructure characteristics of the β-Ga2O3 film have been investigated comprehensively to understand the origin for the domain-like morphologies. Two in-plane rational domains with mirror-symmetrical atomic arrangement have been identified along the [010] axis of β-Ga2O3 by high resolution transmission electron microscopy, which are caused by the (0001) sapphire substrate symmetry. Various defects, including twinned crystals, inversion domains and domain boundaries etc, have been observed, leading to the rough surfaces and poor crystalline quality of β-Ga2O3 grown on non-angled (0001) sapphire substrate. Schematic diagrams and the oxygen atomic arrangements of β-Ga2O3 on ∼7° off-angled (0001) sapphire substrate toward the 〈11 2ˉ 0〉 plane were proposed to illustrate the in-plane quasi-epitaxial relationships between the β-Ga2O3(400) film and the sapphire (11 2ˉ 3) substrate, and to explain the single domain growth mechanism. The results would be helpful for improving the surface morphologies and crystalline quality of heteroepitaxial Ga2O3 films.

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